Anthem is a dystopian fiction novella written by Ayn Rand, first published in 1938. Anthem is a story of a man by the name Prometheus. Prometheus struggles to be free from a society where no individualism is acceptable. All men must be the same and must live for the common good of all. But by human nature he strived to gain all the knowledge that one could possibly attain.
Equality informs the audience in the very beginning of the story, “it is a sin to write this. It is a sin to think words no others think and to put them down on a paper no others are to see. And we know well that there is no transgression blacker than to do or think alone (Rand 17). Members of the society are deprived of their freedom of speech. They must write and think together because they exist only as a brotherhood, not as individuals.
Crooks isn’t ashamed about his inheritance but has pride and tells Lennie he doesn’t descend from slaves but from landowners. In several points, in the book Steinbeck shows Crooks’s dignity and pride when he ‘draws himself up’ and will not accept charity from anyone. Crooks, jealous of Lennie having a friend to spend his life with, scares him and
Perhaps not a whole chapter but a reasonable paragraph, at any rate.” (Achebe 208-209). The commissioner intends to write a book documenting the Ibo culture. He is unaware, and likely uninterested in knowing the full story of Okonkwo’s life. “one must be firm in cutting out the details.” (Achebe 209) Okonkwo had just realized that his tribe was doomed because of their weakness. He decided to take his own life as a result of a lifelong struggle to help his clan by being a strong and hardworking man, in an attempt to distance himself from his weak and unsuccessful father’s reputation.
Ironic Life of Richard Cory The old adage, “don’t judge a book by its cover,” can be used more than in the sense of choosing a new book to read. In life, that old adage can be used when making an assumption of a particular person; judging someone without knowing what it is like to live his or her life is just like deciding not read a book because the cover is not favorable. In the poem, entitled “Richard Cory,” by Edwin Arlington Robinson, the townspeople see the prestigious man, Richard Cory, as someone they want to be and envy. However, the townspeople judge Richard Cory by his cover; they never once look deeply into his life. This mistaken judgment leads to tragic irony, and Richard Cory’s life does not seem so fascinating after all.
The Stranger Essay Albert Camus novels The Stranger and The Myth of Sisyphus are based to define the meaning of existentialism. In The Stranger the main character Meursault is portrayed to show no emotions and judgments towards others. While The Myth of Sisyphus shows who lives his life in a stubbornly and arrogant behavior as if he’s out to get someone in life. In both stories the readers that they have taken life and for granted and come to sort of realize their wrongs at the end of the story. Neither understands having though, passion, feeling, or emotion in life.
In Utopia, Thomas More describes the way of life of an ideal society. The philosophical ideals of the society, though somewhat morally sound, are too righteous to be realized. Also, there are several unreasonable restrictions on almost all the aspects of life from the choice of one’s occupation to travel around the city, and from personal aspects like religion and marriage to even the way one thinks. Throughout the text, we learn about their policies, which, although benefit the society as a whole, seem to largely neglect human emotions. Thus, More’s Utopia is a sternly righteous and puritanical state, where only a few of us would feel happy; this is because the communal way of life and the laws of the state forbid its citizens to have absolute personal liberty, which is essentially the main ingredient of happiness.
We might think that it’s impossible to change the entire world—and it is—so we passively sit and continue to complain. While complaining may seem easier, it comes with a sinister cost. It casts a shadow of helplessness and victimhood and it compounds the issue. Nothing ever changes because of criticism alone. If everyone complained and no one picked up the trash, the situation would stay the same (at best).
Prejudice is incurred by the hate we feel towards people whose customs and behaviour differ from our own; the fear of the unknown is the basis of all prejudice. Words are only powerful if we give them meaning, therefore, prejudice and racism are only powerful if society defines the fuel of racism. When Atticus states, “It’s never an insult to be called what somebody thinks is a bad name. It just shows you how poor that person it, it doesn’t hurt you,” (Page 108, Lee) it exemplifies his refusal to put stock in derogatory slang because he knows that only uneducated people would use such language whilst discussing the behaviour of another human being. Atticus told Scout and Jem that being called a “nigger-lover” does not matter because it has no meaning to Atticus.
The case for being a pacifist “There are many causes I would die for. There is not a single cause I would kill for.” ― Mahatma Gandhi “First, it must be emphasized that nonviolent resistance is not a method for cowards; it does resist. If one uses this method because he is afraid or merely because he lacks the instruments of violence, he is not truly nonviolent…. A second basic fact that characterizes nonviolence is that it does not seek to defeat or humiliate the opponent, but to win his friendship and understanding….The end is redemption and reconciliation. The aftermath of nonviolence is the creation of the beloved community, while the aftermath of violence is tragic bitterness.” Martin Luther King, Jr Nowadays, pacifism is not popular.